Demigod and Werewolves unite
by CharactersSecretsExposed
Summary: Kicked out of another school, Percy goes to the only place that'll take him - Beacon Hills High School. Percy's suspicion of the school grows as he uncovers a new supernatural world and is forced to join forces with the local 'pack' in order to fight a new evil known as the 'kanima'.
1. Different

Tap, tap, tap

ADHD has its moments – like jacking up my impatience levels by 10 when I'm forced to wait outside the principal's office.

Tap, tap, tap

My shoe rhythmically collides into the floor. ADHD and impatience mixed together have caused it to go on auto mode. I couldn't control the action if I wanted to and if I did I'd probably have to jump up and do laps to get rid of my pent up energy. Finally, mercifully, the door opens.

'Mr. Jackson, Mr. Argent will see you now.'

I stand up and nod my thanks to the receptionist. She leads me into another office and waits till I am seated before leaving.

'So, Perseus Jackson is it?'

I cringe inwardly. A 60 something man sits behind a simple desk, his attention apparently diverted to the stack of paper in his hand. Lucky for me – he can't see my foot that has started tapping again. Irritating habit, I should get rid of it.

'Percy, sir,' I reply.

The principal grunts.

'Despite your… destructive reputation… I see no reason to keep you from receiving your education.'

Incredibly, I manage to keep my mouth shut. ADHD again. Eventually, the principal looks up from his paperwork.

'Your cleared – go outside and collect your timetable from the front desk.'

I hesitate for a moment, confused at the abrupt and unusual comment.

'Uh… Ok, sir,' I said uncertainly.

He doesn't respond, or he doesn't care. His attention consumed by the paperwork once again.

For the second time that day, I abandoned my chair and let myself out of the office. Walking to the front desk I collected my timetable from the office lady and walked back outside into the hall. Free from prying eyes, I relaxed and glanced down at my timetable – Chemistry first. Sighing, I made note of the class number and hurried to find it. Ironically, I glanced up and spotted a small black, unmistakable camera wedged in the corner of the ceiling. Guess I was more observed out here than I was in there. Still, Beacon Hills High School couldn't be any weirder than the other School's I'd gone to.

* * *

…with covalent bonding, there is an option of two different bonds between molecules; the first being a double covalent bond and the second being–

The Teacher's bland voice was abruptly cut off as I awkwardly walked into the classroom.

'Is there a reason you are interrupting my class?' he asked in a monotone.

'Um, no… I mean, no sir,' I hastily added.

The teacher rolled his eyes.

'I see, the new student' he said to no one in particular, 'well you can't be any worse than Stilinski, find a seat.'

I glanced around the room and spotted an empty seat next to a bored looking boy.

'Can I sit here?' I asked.

He jerked up in his seat, seeming to notice me for the first time.

'Huh? Oh, yeah sure,' he said.

Gratefully, I slid into the chair and took out my books.

'I'm Percy by the way,' I told him.

The boy smiled briefly.

'Scott,' he said.

I turned back to the teacher who had been continuing his endless drone since I'd arrived. Staring at the board, the words swam before my eyes; constantly changing shape every time I tried to focus on one. Sighing, I gave up trying to learn and slumped in my seat. This was going to be a long lesson.

* * *

BRRRIIIIINNG!

My salvation.

After 40 grueling minutes the bell had finally saved me from my drawn out misery. A lanky kid with brown hair sauntered over to Scott.

'Yo, Scotty,' he greeted his friend.

He glanced in my direction and nodded his head in acknowledgement.

'You new?' he asked.

I nodded.

'Cool, I'm Stiles by the way,' he said.

'Percy,' I replied.

He grinned.

'Nice to meet you Percy,' he said.

'You too,' I told him.

Turning around, I made my way towards the exit. It was lunch and food was calling.

Stiles watched Percy retreat until he left the classroom, then he abandoned his façade of casualness and turned to Scott.

'What do you reckon – werewolf?' he asked eagerly.

Scott sighed.

'Na, every time Derek turns someone I usually find out about it before they come to school and he doesn't have a scent either.

'Oh,' Stiles said, slightly embarrassed at his rash conclusion.

'But he's… different,' Scott said uncertainly.

Stiles whipped his head around and faced his friend.

'Different? Like…. Kanima different?' he inquired.

Scott hesitated.

'No… that's the weird thing; when I was around the Kanima it felt... Dark. Percy literally radiates power.'

Stiles scrunched up his face at Scott's explanation.

'Huh?' he said.

Scott sighed.

'I don't know either myself but I say we keep an eye on him,' he advised.


	2. Kanima

High school.

A depressing brick building riddled with security cameras, weird teachers and sweat-reeking students.

I fought my way through the ever-moving stream of bodies. English had only ended 2 minutes ago and the hallways were already rapidly filling up with students. Classroom doors opened left and right like holes being added to a once empty bubble, students gushing like water through the doors and into the bubble. I glanced at my timetable – economics. Bummer.

'Ah! Percy Jackson – the new student, eh?'

Bobby Finstock – 'coach' in class and 'coach' on the lacrosse field announced my arrival to the entire school; seriously though, that guy could project his voice like no other.

'Every played Lacrosse, Jackson?' he asked me.

'Uh… no, sir,' I said.

The coach was unmoving.

'Well, about time you did. Try-outs at lunch – I want to see you there!' he jabbed his finger towards me accusingly.

I nodded un-committedly and hurried to find an empty desk, which happened to be behind the two guys I'd met yesterday – Scott and Stiles. A brown haired boy stalked down the aisle and dumped his books onto the desk to my left. He sidled into the seat and hunched over, leaning towards the Scott and Stiles who were rifling through their books.

'Hey, testicle left and right.'

I glanced sideways at the brown haired kid and hid a grin. Scott and Stiles didn't find it so funny; they looked up from their textbooks and sighed, obviously fed up with the guy behind them.

'What the hell is a Kanima?'

My ears perked up at the foreign term; it definitely didn't sound mortal but I didn't remember ever hearing anything about a 'kanima' in Greek – or Roman, myths. However, Scott and Stiles obviously knew what it meant; they both whipped around to face the brown haired kid, shock reflecting on their faces. But before either group could say anything, coach Finstock slammed his copy of the textbook onto his desk.

'Alright listen up – quick warning before we begin our review.'

Scott and Stiles ignored their teacher and twisted in their seats towards the brown haired guy again.

'Some of you – like McCall,' Scott turned around again to face the coach, 'might want to start their own study groups because tomorrows mid-term is so _profoundly_ difficult'.

Coach Finstock seemed to be lost in his own world. He stared into the distance and scoffed.

'I'm not even sure I could pass it,' he said.

I shifted in my seat, already bored in the first 5 minutes. Stupid ADHD. The coach snapped out of his trance and addressed the class.

'Ok, I need a volunteer on the board to answer the first question – who's got it, huh?'

_Don't pick me don't pick me_, I prayed. Coach scanned the sea of hands and picked a gangly boy.

'C'mon, let's go buddy.'

I slumped back into my seat in relief. I glanced up when the coach approached the back of the classroom and my hopes sunk to the bottom of my trainers. Then I caught his line of sight and relaxed. The coach was staring intently at the three boys who had re-begun their conversation. _Like a predator stalking prey_ I thought.

'Jackson!'

I sat bolt upright in my seat again. _You've got to be kidding me, what did I do wrong? _The coach wasn't looking at me however; he was still staring at the three boys but more so the brown-haired kid.

'Do you have something you want to share with the rest of the class?' he spread his arms out towards the walls of the classroom. Jackson stared dumbly at the coach, his mouth gaping as he looked blankly at his teacher. Scott and Stiles suddenly became interested in their textbooks.

'Umm….,' he glanced around he classroom as if the inspiration for his answer would come from it's painted brick walls, 'Uh – just an undying admiration for my coach?'

Coach Finstock nodded, a fake smile plastered onto his face.

'That's really kind of you,' he said with imitated sweetness.

Jackson smirked and shrugged in an act of humbleness. Coach dropped his sweet look and glared at the student.

'Now SHUT UP!'

Jackson jerked in his seat at the sudden change in tone.

'Shut it!' coach rapidly fired at him, his eyes swept the classroom, 'anybody else?' he challenged.

When no one accepted, he turned around and sauntered his way back to his desk. I raised an eyebrow when Scott grabbed Stiles' jacket sleeve and tugged his friend towards him. Real nice friend.

'How do we know it's not her?' he hissed.

I frowned slightly – it? As in the Kanima? The word 'shape-shifter' popped into my head. Stiles sighed in exasperation at his friend.

'Because I looked into the eyes of the thing, Ok? And what I saw was pure evil – and when I look into Lydia's eyes I only see fifty-percent evil… alright maybe 60'.

Scott looked at his friend unimpressed. Stiles noticed the look

'But you know what, even forty on a good day,' he added weakly.

It… thing – it was obvious they were talking about the 'kanima' but they'd said that it was Lydia. I barely knew the strawberry-blonde haired girl and just being in the same classes with her was enough for me to know that she was just your average teenage girl. I snapped back into reality when a scream pierced my sub consciousness.

'Lydia…'

Lydia was standing next to the board with a piece of chalk in her hair, tears staining her face. She sniffled as Coach Finstock scrutinized her.

'You Ok there?' Lydia jerked her head towards the coach, 'anyone else want to try answering? This time in… English?' coach Finstock asked the class.

I glanced at the board but couldn't see any difference – the words still swam around the board, teasing my dyslexic eyes.

'What is that, Greek?' Scott asked incredulously to his friend.

I bit down on my tongue to stop myself laughing. Greek. Yeah, right – if it was Greek I'd actually be able to read the words without them messing with my head. Stiles frowned at the picture he'd taken on his phone and showed the screen to Scott.

'No, actually I think it is English.'

He flipped the photo and showed the new picture to Scott. It was obviously something important judging by the way Scott stared at the new words but of course it looked as screwed up as English always did to me. Stupid dyslexia. One thing was definite though – Lydia was _not_ your average teenage girl after all.


	3. Crystal

'Einstein, once said that two things are infinite – the universe and human stupidity.'

I jerked my head up off the palm of my hand I was resting it on. Yawning, I blinked and tried to clear my head from the brief nap I'd had, waiting for the teacher. Apparently, he'd arrived.

'…I'm not sure about the universe, but I myself have encountered _infinite_ stupidity.'

Mr. Harris slapped the back of a miserable looking Stiles.

'So, to combat the plague of ignorance in my class you are going to combine efforts through a round of group experiments. Let's see if two heads are indeed better than one; or in Mr. Stilinksi's case – less than one'.

Stiles avoided Mr. Harris' gaze and stared, affronted at the classroom door – probably wishing he could utilize the exit it provided. Mr. Harris turned to another victim.

'Erica, take the first station,' he instructed a blond haired girl.

Before he could continue, he was interrupted by half the class shooting their hands skywards. Mr. Harris regarded them scathingly.

'I didn't ask for volunteers,' he said sardonically to the forest of, 'put your hormonal hands down'.

He turned to the students sitting in the front row.

'We'll start with McCoy'.

Scott looked particularly unhappy at the prospect of pairing with Erica. Mr. Harris ignored his facial expression.

'All right – next two'.

* * *

For the next 10 minutes I plodded from desk to desk. Mr. Harris had laid out a variety of powders and substances for us to conduct our experiment. So far, it seemed everyone was as brain dead as I was.

'Time! If you've catalyzed the reaction correctly you should be looking at a crystal'.

I stared at the contents of the beaker on my desk, surprised to find a perfectly formed crystal. Lydia smiled, pleased at the result. After all, it was all her work – I'd sat there completely confused whilst she'd mixed and poured like she knew exactly what she was doing. I glanced around the classroom and spotted Scott and Stiles staring at the mud-like substance that was at the bottom of their beaker. The depressing 'crystal mixture' stared back at them.

'Now, for the part of that last experiment I'm sure you'll all enjoy – you can eat it'.

Mr. Harris sat at his teacher's desk, an evil looking smile fixed on his face while Scott and Stiles stared, horrified at their beaker. Lydia however, cocked her head curiously and picked up the crystal with a pair of science tongs.

'Want to share it?' she offered the liquid coated crystal to me.

I shrugged.

'Yeah, why not?'

I took a bite of the crystal. Crunch! It was tasteless but caused by stomach to tingle when I digested it. Lydia popped the other half in her mouth.

* * *

Scott and Stiles stared as Lydia looked curiously at her dripping crystal.

'Crystals are suppose to be dry, right?' muttered Stiles.

Scott nodded slowly.

'Isaac was Lydia's last lab partner, I bet he spiked it with Kanima venom!' Stiles hissed.

He turned around and shot a glare at the smirking beta for good measure.

'We've got to do something,' Stiles warned his friend.

'Or, the new kid'll can something for us…' Scott trailed off.

Stiles frowned at his friend in confusion and looked at the desk where Lydia and Percy were seated. She said something indiscernible to him and he took a bite out of the crystal. Stiles slumped in his seat.

'Ok whatever, new kid gets paralyzed, everyone panics, Lydia never eats the crystal,' he mumbled.

Boy, he was going to be in big trouble; no doubt Mr. Harris would blame him for Percy's poisoning – one of the perks of being Mr. Harris' most loathed student. The two friends watched as Percy chewed and swallowed the crystal. Stiles sat upright and stared in confusion as Percy handed the other half over to Lydia who popped the crystal into her mouth.

'What the hell…? Either you're seriously right about Percy being 'different' or Isaac never stuck venom on the crystal,' he told Scott.

'No…' Scott replied, jerking his head backwards, 'check out Erica and Isaac, there's no way they didn't spike it'.

Stiles twisted in his seat and spotted the two betas staring intently at the two teenagers at the front of the class. Isaac's face reflected satisfaction and Erica looked shocked.

'But…' started Stiles, turning back to face the front, 'if they both ate the crystal and none of them are paralyzed… then they both passed the test?'

Scott frowned, his brain at super-speed.

'There can't be two Kanimas,' he said slowly.

The pair simultaneously looked at the new kid.

'I'll snatch him for lunch before the other two get him,' Stiles said.

Scott nodded.

'Good idea, I want to talk to this kid.'


	4. The Alpha

'Yo, Percy!'

I whipped my head around in confusion as a hand swung it's way towards my shoulder, pulling me closer towards the owner.

'How you doing?' Stiles whumped my shoulder in a way that was intended to be reassuring but would probably give me a bruise instead.

'Good,' I answered.

Scott appeared beside his friend, looking unusually welcoming.

'Hey, me and my bud Scott were headed to lunch – did you want to sit with us?'

Stiles jerked his thumb at his friend with his free hand.

'Yeah, that'd be great,' I said.

Stiles whacked my on the shoulder again. I wish he'd stop doing that so hard.

'Sweet! C'mon – I'll introduce you to the pack,' he said cheerfully.

He hoisted his bag straps higher and began striding towards the classroom door, leaving Scott and I to follow in his wake.

'The… pack?' I asked.

Stiles slowed his pace and shot a look at Scott.

'Uh… that's what I call my group of friends,' he quickly.

I nodded absent-mindedly. Weird.

* * *

15 minutes later we'd wrestled our way through the crowded hallways and stood in line for our food.

'Hey Stiles,' I said as I grabbed anything that resembled a shade of blue, 'what's with all the security camera's?'

Stiles scoffed as he added a slice of pizza to his small mountain of food.

'Yeah, those got put in this year when the new principal came in – he's really paranoid,' he added helpfully.

We reached the end of the serving line and squeezed our way through the mass of bodies. Stiles dumped his tray on the table Scott had already claimed and slid into the seat opposite his friend. He cheerfully slapped the seat next to him and I pushed my tray over, sitting in the seat he had indicated.

'Hey,' Scott greeted me, 'nice tat.'

I nodded my thanks in Scott's direction. Stiles scrunched his face up in confusion.

'Tat?' he asked.

'Yeah.'

I showed him the SPQR tattoo.

'Nice,' said Stiles, 'my dad would flip if I got one; what's it suppose to stand for?'

I shrugged.

'It's just part of my religion,' I said lamely, my brain exhausted of excuses, 'it's uh… roman'.

Stiles nodded, apparently satisfied with my answer and dug into his lunch.

'So Percy, what's your story?' he asked through a mouthful of pizza.

I picked up my own slice and had to fight the urge to chuck it into a brazier that obviously wasn't going to be in a high school cafeteria. Oh well, the gods would just have to be satisfied with my summer offerings.

'There's not really much to tell,' I lied, 'I lived in New York for most of my life and switch schools ever year'.

Scott raised his eyebrow.

'Every year?' he inquired.

I shrugged, embarrassed.

'Yeah, I get blamed for something drastic and they kick me out'.

Stiles snorted.

'I know the feeling,' he said sardonically.

'Mr. Harris?' I guessed.

He nodded.

'I swear that man is out to get me,' he grumbled.

Small talk finished, we sat in awkward silence for the next few seconds. I racked my brain for a new topic.

'So… what's a kanima?' I asked.

Stupid ADHD. Why the heck did I just blurt that out loud? Smart move Percy, real smart. Stiles glanced at Scott but his friend shook his head warningly – Yep, they knew something alright.

'Uh… where did you hear about a kanima?' Stiles asked.

I shrugged, trying to make myself appear careless.

'You guys argue pretty loudly, I was sitting next to Jackson in economics,' I admitted.

'Oh…' Stiles seemed lost for words.

'We were just mucking around,' Scott interjected, 'a kanima's just some… myth,'

I nodded, seeming to accept the answer. Inside however, my mind was reeling. _The kanima… a myth…_ hadn't I thought the same thing about the greek gods before I found out they were real? The way that the three boys had been talking about the kanima in class had sounded genuinely serious. They probably knew the truth but didn't want anybody else – me included – finding out. There was something different about these two boys – especially Scott.

'So what about you two? What's your stories?' I asked.

Stiles shrugged.

'Boring. Mum died when I was little, dad's the Sheriff,' he said.

'My mum's a nurse. She'd divorced,' Scott told him.

I nodded thoughtfully.

'Yeah, I know how that feels like – I've had three different dads,' he reminisced.

Stiles choked on his pizza.

'T-three?' he asked.

I blushed. Wow, I really have to control my mouth.

'I've had two different step-dads,' I explained.

Stiles opened his mouth to say something else but he was cut off by the school bell signaling the end of lunch.

* * *

I let the steady flow of students flush me out of the school. For once, they were all going in the same direction so it was relatively easier to move through the hallways. Mum was suppose to be at a job interview today and Paul would still be at the school working long after all the students had left so it looked like I would be walking home today. That was fine by me, our new apartment wasn't too far away and I wanted to scout the grounds – monsters would still attack me wherever I lived and it would be better if I knew the layout of Beacon Hills better. My legs carried me while I walked, lost in thought. The solid pavement gradually turned into soil and I lifted my head, noticing the forest for the first time. The trees twisted into each other, weaving their branches into interlocking positions like they were trying to block me out – that was enough to make me investigate. There was a dirt pathway leading into the woods and I followed it, it had rained this morning and the trees were still sagging under the rainwater that had accumulated since then. My eyes sought out possible offensive and defensive positions in the cluster of vegetation. In a matter of minutes I was completely preoccupied, unaware of my surroundings.

Grrrr….

I blinked and whipped around, my hand instinctively reaching for my pocket where riptide was hidden. I hesitated however, when I was faced with not a canine – but a human.

'What're you doing here?'

A dark-haired man stalked towards me from the wall of trees, his face sets in a scowl. I dropped my hand away from my pocket – he was obviously a mortal so riptide would just freak him out and the last thing I needed would be police asking me questions.

'This is private property,' he informed me, stressing the word 'private'.

Obviously, he didn't want me here.

'Uh… umm…' I babbled as the words fled my head, 'I…. uh… hi?'

_Great. Good one Percy_ I told myself sarcastically. If it was possible, the man's frown deepened further and he took a few more steps towards me.

'You've got 10 seconds to tell me what you are before I make you,' he warned.

My mouth stayed in it's gaping position. I stared back at him, unsure of how to reply. Sure, I got death threats on a daily basis but always from monsters – never mortals.

'What… I am?' I asked him slowly.

'Yes,' he confirmed impatiently, 'tell me what you are and you can go'.

_Heard that one before _I thought.

'I'm… uh… a human?' I said uncertainty.

Unfortunately for me, the man appeared unsatisfied with my answer. He sighed in exasperation.

'Isaac, Erica,' he barked over his shoulder.

He turned back to face me.

'It's not smart to lie to me kid,' he growled menacingly.

Yes, growled. When I say growled, I mean _actually_ growled. His face scrunched up and he rolled his neck as facial hair began to sprout at an alarming rate. His nose flattened and his eyes glowed red. Two kids dropped into the pathway behind the man and my brain briefly recognized them as two students from my chemistry class. They too transformed, although their eyes changed to a dark yellow instead of fiery red. Claws grew from my adversary's hands and in unison they bared their teeth.

I just stood there and stared.

As far as I was concerned I'd never seen a mortal that changed halfway into a monster. Sure there were empousia but even they weren't mortal and their 'human' side was a vampire.

Without warning, the three half-human, half-wolf trio leapt forward. My mind jumped to a conclusion in a split second. They were definitely mortals if they didn't know I was Poseidon's son so Riptide was pretty much useless against them. There was a chance that Riptide would work against them since they appeared to be monsters but my attackers were moving at inhuman speed and I didn't have room for error or second chances. So I fell back on my natural defenses.

WSSSHHH!

I took an involuntary half step backwards and thrust both my hands forward. Water leapt from the waterlogged trees and followed the motion of my hands, slamming into my assailants and forcing them backwards till they collided into a tree trunk. Erica gasped and struggled as a wall of water kept her pinned to the tree. The other two were equally shocked but growled nonetheless.

'What the hell are you?' demanded the man who'd threatened me earlier.

Funny, how easily the tables can be turned.

'I should ask you the same question,' I shot back at him.

My arms were outstretched towards the three mortals, hands curved in a grasping motion as I held them in place. The man growled once more, venting out his frustration against the water that was restraining him.

'I am the Alpha,' he announced proudly, 'this is my pack'.

I frowned slightly. Pack… I'd heard that term before – from Stiles.

'Pack… as in werewolves?' I asked incredulously.

Isaac let out a short bark of humorless laughter.

'What? Is the concept of werewolves too hard for you to accept when you're going all voodoo?' he accused.

I raised my eyebrow; he had a point. Holding them up was draining my energy and I dropped my arms, the werewolves following suit. The water pooled around my feet, ready to defend me at a moments notice.

'Why'd you try to kill me?' I interrogated.

The pack morphed back to their human appearances.

'We thought you were something else – obviously we were wrong,' the Alpha said gruffly.

I raised my eyebrow_, something? Wow, that's offensive_.

'What did you think I was?' I asked.

The Alpha glared at me.

'Nothing you need to know. I still want answers; who are you and how could you control the water?' he spat at me.

'That's really none of your business,' I scoffed.

His eyes narrowed at the implied challenge, but before he could answer his head jerked sideways. He turned to nod Isaac and Erica, and his pack disappeared into the trees.

'This isn't over,' he jabbed his finger at me before bounding into the forest, heading in a different direction that the two teenagers had taken.

I frowned. He was right; it wasn't over. There was something he wasn't telling me and I wanted to find out what. Impulsive, reckless, stupid – call it whatever you want, but I ran into the forest after the Alpha.


	5. Shapeshifters

The branches seemed to deliberately reach out towards me and I had to duck several times to avoid having my face whipped. The Alpha had disappeared long ago but I continued in the direction he had taken anyway. Eventually, the trees thinned and I froze as I recognized the school bleachers through the trunks of wood. Creeping closer, I peered through the striped windows and watched wide eyed at the scene that was unfolding in front of me.

Scott was facing an African American teenager, I recognized him as another classmate. Derek stood between them and he seemed to be ganging up against Scott with the teenager.

'She failed the test'.

Scott turned his head towards the Alpha.

'Yeah, which doesn't prove anything, Lydia's different ' he retorted.

'I know, at night she turns into a homicidal walking snake,' the Alpha stated.

'I'm not going to let you kill her,' Scott told the older man.

I leaned forward, straining my ears. The three boys had been talking about Lydia being this 'kanima' in class and the Alpha apparently wanted to kill her. Hadn't the Alpha wanted to kill me because he'd thought I was… something? Did he mean the kanima?

The Alpha raised his eyebrow and swung his head around to exchange a humorous smirk with the other teenager before turning to address Scott once more.

'Who said I was going to do it,' he told him.

Scott frowned, confusion written on his face then his eyes widened. He started towards the school building but the other teenager grabbed him around his waist and threw him to the ground. The Alpha walked up to Scott, looking down upon him as if he were observing a piece of trash

'I don't know why you think you have to protect everyone now Scott,' he said, 'but even so, Lydia _has_ killed people and she's going to do it again and next time it's going to be one of us.'

_Us? Did he mean the wolf state he'd morphed into?_

Scott grimaced and stared defiantly back at the Alpha.

'What if you're wrong?' he asked

'She was bitten by an Alpha, it's her'.

'You saw that thing up close, you know it's not like us'.

'But it is! We're all shape shifters! You don't know what you're dealing with; it happens rarely and it happens for a reason'.

What reason?'

'Sometimes the shape you take reflects the person that you are'.

And with that, the Alpha offered his hand to Scott and helped him off the ground. With the argument over, I decided to get home before mum came back from her job interview. I'd learnt enough to keep me occupied for the rest of the day. My mind reeled with new answers that only served to offer me more questions. The Alpha had told Scott that '_we're_ all shape shifters' – did that mean that Scott was one of… them? They had argued about Lydia… killing people – probably when she was a 'kanima'. I'd probably have to IM Annabeth this afternoon; see what she knew about shape shifters. For some reason, I doubt it has anything to do with Greek or Roman mythology.

* * *

The werewolves, hunter and human simultaneously turned their heads towards the sky as a lizard-like creature slunk up and over the roof of Scott's house, quickly disappearing from sight. They turned again, as footsteps emanated from the front door to Scott's house. A strawberry blonde girl stumbled out; her face petrified which was reinforced by her shrill voice.

'Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on!' yelled Lydia

Everyone stared back, speechless at her appearance. Scott fixed his gaze on the roof of his house, mouth slightly agape as he pieced the facts together.

'It's Jackson,' he breathed.

Derek whipped his head around.

'What?' he demanded.

Scott turned to Derek.

'The kanima… it's Jackson – it has to be! He was the only other person in the house,' he told the Alpha.

Derek breathed out harshly in frustration.

'We need the water kid,' he growled.

Erica, paralyzed on the grass – courtesy of the kanima venom from Allison's arrow – groaned in protest through her unmoving lips. Scott frowned at her reaction.

'What do you mean… the water kid?' he quizzed Derek.

Derek scrunched up his face as he devised his new plan.

'The kid in your chemistry class, Isaac told me he ate the venom as well but wasn't affected so I followed him with the pack,' he explained.

'What, seriously Derek! You tried to kill him _just_ cause he wasn't affected?' Scott hissed, appalled at the Alpha's emotionless logic.

'He was a threat! Don't worry, your precious friend's safe,' Derek added as Scott opened his mouth to retort, 'he got us pinned against the trees without even touching us'.

Scott closed his mouth, confusion replacing irritation.

'Then… how did he beat you?' he inquired.

Derek looked Scott directly in his eyes.

'He flicked his hands at us and the water forced us up against the trees,' he said carefully and clearly.

'Uh… ok…?' Scott said.

If it was possible, he was even more confused.

'Wait, so, there's another shape shifting _thing_ in this town!?' interrupted Stiles, 'and that supernatural thing is the new kid?'

Derek rolled his eyes.

'No, I just said; he controls water, he doesn't shift'.

Stiles scrunched up his face. Scott sighed.

'How is he going to help us against the kanima?' he asked, 'is it worth telling him our secret?'

'Well for one, the venom doesn't work on him and yes; he already knows anyway – he's seen me shift in front of him,' said Derek.

Scott hesitated; Derek could tell he was considering the leverage they'd get with an extra fighter.

'Do you know… what he is?' he asked.

'First thing I asked, he said he was a human but it doesn't explain why he can control water. Look; just talk to him at school and tell him whatever you want – he already knows about us and we need an edge if we're going to defeat Jackson,' Derek told him.

Scott looked long and hard at the Alpha then he nodded.

'I'll talk to him,' he said.


	6. Detention

I fought my way through the crowd making it's way out of our recently concluded class. Weird would be one way of describing my week so far; the number of security camera's in the school had tripled and my English teacher had been replaced by the principal's daughter in law. To top it off, my focus in class had been completely diverted by the confusing set of events I had witnessed the other day.

'Lydia. Aw Lydia c'mon, Lydia wait!'

I'd reached the top of the stairs when I heard a familiar voice yell out an even more familiar name. I swiveled my head around until I caught sight of Stiles half running, half walking after a retreating strawberry-blonde haired girl. I scrutinized the lanky teenager; he and Scott were best friends, if there was anyone I could get answers from it would be Stiles. I elbowed my way against the moving wall of students; my progress was twice as slow since I was now moving in the opposite of majority of the students. I glanced up to check Stiles' position just in time to see him forcibly slammed into the brick wall by Erica. I doubled my efforts to reach Stiles, as far as I was concerned he probably didn't know the danger he was in but I could protect him – so long as I could get close enough to Erica to use my powers without anyone else noticing. Turns out, I didn't have to. Erica retreated and stupidly, Stiles chased her. Hades, I'd have to miss class if I was going to protect his ass. Sighing, I changed course and followed Stiles.

* * *

'…Exactly how you're not noticing me right now'.

I heard snippets of Erica and Stiles' conversation as I trailed them; the students in the hallways thinned out the longer I shadowed them, making it easier for me to follow them. The pair had rounded a corner and I quickened my pace so as not to loose them.

BANG! CRASH! Argh!

Noises of a fight broke out. Fearing the worse, I dropped all motives of stealth and ran. Reaching the intersection, I scrambled to a halt and hesitated when I saw that it wasn't Erica and Stiles who were fighting but Scott and Jackson.

'What the hell is going on!?'

Mr. Harris strode through the corridor, barging past students to reach the grappling pair.

'Hey! Enough!' he yelled.

He finally reached the teenagers.

'What do you even think you're doing? Jackson! Calm down! Mr. McCall – If you would explain yourself? Stilinski?'

Mr. Harris stared down each of the teenagers, yet no one said a word to quench his fury. After a few seconds, Mr. Harris lost his patience – and leniency.

'You and you,' Mr. Harris motioned to Scott and Alison, 'Actually… all of you, detention – 3 o'clock'

He made a sweeping gesture to the teenagers in the corridor, which happened to be me as well. Great. On the bright side, the students who were most likely to give me answers would also be present in detention. I sighed inwardly, the things I do for information.

* * *

I followed the group of six pissed off/miserable teenagers into the school library where we found Mr. Harris waiting for us. He waited until we were all seated at a table before lounging at the librarian's desk to monitor us. Tactically, I sat with Stiles and Scott. Scott breathed out in frustration.

'I'm gonna kill him,' he told Stiles.

Stiles glanced sideways at me but relaxed when I didn't react to Scott's unusual statement.

'No, you're not,' he told his friend, 'you're gonna find out who's controlling him and then you're going to help save him'.

Scott whipped his gaze over his shoulder and then turned back around. He shook his head, squirming in his seat with adrenaline and impatience.

'No, you're right, let's kill him'.

'Eh, umm, uh,' Stiles mumbled, obviously regretting his previous opinion

I watched the byplay between the two friends with interest. Scott and Stiles looked over at Jackson's table as he rolled his neck, the message was clear – he wanted to continue the fight and Scott was more than happy to comply.

'So what do you two know about a dark haired, permanently frowning guy who calls himself the alpha?'

There, I'd said it – after rehearsing that stupid question for days it was finally off my chest. I must admit, it probably wasn't the subtlest way of extracting information but when it comes to getting answers I've learnt that the best way to get them is to ask outright – people get a little less confused that way.

'What? Do you mean Derek?' Stiles asked carelessly.

Scott shot him a pained look and Stiles slapped a hand over his mouth; they couldn't appear any guiltier. Bingo.

'Yeah, the grumpy man who turns into a half-werewolf!' I waved my arms for affect, 'and don't bother laughing it off or playing dumb, I already know you two know something that you aren't telling me'.

A silent message passed between the two friends and an agreement was made.

'Ok, good cause we know everything about you too, so telling on Scott isn't in your best interests,' Scott declared menacingly – or as menacingly as Stiles could muster.

Scott sighed and rolled his eyes at Stiles, he turned back to face me.

'Derek already told us what happened in the woods and we all want answers as much as you do but stuck in a confined building surrounded by people isn't exactly the best place for exchanging,' he hissed.

I chewed my lip, considering his statement. Scott was right; it wouldn't do to have nosy listeners.

'Fine. Meet me where I 'met' Derek. Tell him and his pack to come too – you guy aren't part of his pack, are you?' I asked in a low voice.

'No, I'm an Omega and Stiles isn't a shape shifter,' replied Scott.

I raised my eyebrow quizzically.

'I can imagine what happened when you found out,' I told Stiles.

'Actually, I was kinda the one who found out _for_ Scott,' he answered.

Scott snorted.

'Yeah, he believed all that stuff before we got any proof; kept pestering me with his supernatural theories'.

Jackson stood up suddenly from his table, wincing in pain and clutching his forehead. The two friend's attention was instantly trained back on the teenager.

'I-I have to go to the bathroom,' he gasped.

Mr. Harris looked up from the computer he had been using.

'You alright?' he asked, 'you don't look so good'.

'Na, I just need to get some water,' Jackson told the chemistry teacher as he left the library.

Lucky sucker. If only my teacher's would believe me when I used that excuse but try without fail I was accused of lying and told to remain where I was – I'd practiced the expression at almost all the schools I'd attended.

'No one leaves their seats,' Mr. Harris announced before leaving the library.

No sooner had he done this did Scott and Stiles decide to leave their seats and migrated to Erica's table. I shrugged and took out a packet of Oreo's I'd stashed in my pocket. Thinking made me hungry.

* * *

_Scott McCall, Please report to the principal's office._

I jerked up in my seat, yawning as the announcement caused me to wake up from the light nap I had taken. I looked over at the adjacent table as Scott left the room. Erica and Stiles were huddled over a red Macbook scanning whatever was on displayed on the screen with fixed expressions. The door suddenly reopened and Jackson entered, followed by Mr. Harris who gathered his belongings in a computer bag and turned for the door. Relieved, everyone in the room – myself included – began to emulate his actions. He noticed our movements and chucked.

'Oh, no I'm sorry,' laughter punctured the spaces between each word, 'ah, yes – I'm leaving but none of you are. You may go, when you are done with the re-shelving. Enjoy the rest of the evening'.

And with that, he left the library full of students sporting 'you're kidding me' facial expressions. Sighing, we dropped out school bags back on the floor and plodded over to two book trolleys, which were slowly bending under the weight of enough books to have caused the slaughter of an entire forest. I joined the other teenagers as we wearily began the mammoth task. Grab a book, check the author, find the shelf, and stick it in. After several minutes, my mental mantra was this; grab a book, find _any_ gap in the nearest shelf and cram the book in the cavity.


	7. Demigod

Scott was right; a library was no place to be exchanging information. I could practically hear every word of the discussion between Stiles, Allison and Scott taking place in the next row down from where I was stacking books.

'It means he was born _after_ his mum died by C-section; they had to pull him out of her dead body'.

Ew… and creepy. Why Stiles was talking about this though, I had no idea.

'So was it an accident or not?' Allison's voice carried to my beckoning ears.

'The word all over the report is inconclusive,' replied Stiles' voice.

'His parents could have been murdered'. That was Scott.

'One thing more that falls in line with the kanima myth, you know; seeks out a killer among murderers' said Stiles.

'But for Jackson, or the person controlling him?' asked Allison.

'We have to talk to him,' Scott told his two friends, 'we have to tell him!'

'His not going to listen!' hissed Allison but Scott had already left his two friends.

I watched as he walked towards the shelf Jackson and another student had been stacking at. He disappeared behind the shelf, moving urgently but cautiously.

BANG!

I ducked as plaster cascaded from the ceiling, a fast moving _something_ bounded over the bookshelves. Instinctively, I reached for riptide. I'd never laid eyes upon this type of monster before but it partially resembled Echidna – maybe it was one of her children? Or even a male version of her? Far-fetched, I know but who can blame the way my brain works under pressure?

'ERICA!'

I whipped my head towards Scott as he yelled for the other werewolf. A canine howl responded, tinged with fear. A few seconds later I heard Erica scream in pain, followed by a thud as her body presumably hit the floor. Even though she'd tried to kill me, I still hoped she wasn't dead. I scrambled through the falling wire and debris, dodging Scott as his body flew backwards. Knowing Newton's second and third law; the teenager had probably been thrown by an incredibly strong monster which was standing somewhere by the bookshelf at the back of the library. I didn't wait to confirm my hypothesis though and scrambled behind the shelter of a bookshelf with Scott where Stiles and Allison were huddled. As safe as I could be with a monster in the same room, I peeked out and reeled back as I caught sight of – not a monster – but Jackson. Well, Jackson in name at least – definitely not in appearance though.

What the heck was wrong with the students at this school?

Jackson was standing in a possessed state, his body half transformed into a reptilian creature. He moved with the stiffness of a robot, raising his arm mechanically and dragging a piece of chalk across the blackboard next to him.

**STAY OUT OF MY WAY OR I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU**

White, powdered words threatened me from a dark green rectangle. Then, without warning, Jackson leaped skywards through a window. Deciding it was safe; we slowly stood up and walked towards the chalkboard.

'Woah, hey, hey!'

Stiles urgent tone caught our attention and we turned to find him clutching Erica who was convulsing violently in his arms.

'I think she's having a seizure'.

Hastily, we joined him next to Erica. Allison disappeared behind another bookshelf to help an unconscious student who was lying on the ground with a shallow cut across the back of his neck. The three friends deliberated what they would do and eventually decided to take Erica to Derek whilst Allison called an ambulance for the inured student.

'Percy, you better come with us – might as well meet Derek now,' Scott called over his shoulder as he carried Erica out of the library.

* * *

I flinched every time I heard her screams.

Erica howled from inside the abandoned subway train as I awkwardly waited on an empty oil drum. Eventually, Scott and Derek stormed out and I hopped of my impromptu chair.

'You know who it is,' Scott accused Derek as they walked towards me.

They stopped walking and Derek turned to face the teenager. Seeing that they wouldn't be reaching me until their argument was over, I sat down again to wait.

'Jackson,' admitted the Alpha.

'You just wanted Erica to confirm it, didn't you?' Scott asked.

Derek nodded. Scott breathed out and set his face in a determined expression, coming to a decision.

'I'm going to help you stop him as part of your pack. If you want me in then fine but we'll do it on one condition – we're going to catch him, not kill him'.

'And?'

'We do it my way'.

Conversation concluded they walked the rest of the distance towards me.

'Alright, discussion time,' Derek declared, folding his arms, 'fire away'.

'_What_ are you?' I asked.

'Shapeshifter; you already know what animal'.

'Tell me everything you know about the Kanima'.

'When someone gets 'the bite' from an Alpha they usually turn into a werewolf or die but in Jackson's case he turned into a giant lizard'.

'I thought Lydia was the kanima?'

'That's what we thought too. Stiles, Allison, Jackson and I kept Lydia at my house to protect her from Derek and his pack but then the Kanima turned up while Lydia was standing next to us – Jackson was missing so we assumed he was the kanima,' Scott explained.

I sighed, leaning against a rusted pole to let all the information in. This was so impossible, but at the same time completely occurring in front of my eyes.

'Why do you want to kill – or capture,' I added as Scott looked meaningfully in my direction, 'the kanima… Jackson, whatever'.

'Because,' began Derek, 'the Kanima is controlled by a master who is forcing the Kanima to murder innocent people. The Kanima has proven all but impossible to kill so we've resorted to finding and stopping whoever is controlling Jackson. Meanwhile, you're control over water should 'capture' the kanima as Scott so very passionately demands'.

Scott rolled his eyes. The Alpha ignored him and turned to me.

'Your turn then, what are you? Spit it out'.

I wavered, it was strictly forbidden to tell mortals about demigods… but then again these people weren't _ordinary_ mortals and if I was going to help them stop the Kanima from killing again we needed to fight with trust. Without trust, there was lying, suspicion, deceit – something I knew from experience that could spell the ruin for an army, or in this case a pack. Last summer, knowledge of Kronos' spy had all but broken up Camp Half Blood.

'A demigod,' I finally admitted.

Scott and Derek stared at me with blank faces.

'Poseidon is my father,' I told them, 'demigod means half-human, half-god'.

My explanation did little to change their confused expressions.

'Poseidon… as in the Greek god?' asked Scott slowly.

'Yeah,' I confirmed.

'So… you're saying that the gods are real and that you're one of their kids?'

I rolled my eyes.

'Look, I know it sounds absurd but so did your whole 'shapeshifters are real' declaration – I'm the only son of Poseidon and since he's the god of seas and other stuff I can control water… and do other stuff'.

Derek scoffed.

'What the heck; I've seen you in action, I believe you'.

I nodded my head towards him in gratitude. Scott sighed.

'So do I. I guess the kanima shouldn't be too hard to stop if you're the son of a god,' he decided, 'so what else can you do?'

I grinned.

'Lots of stuff'.


	8. Mountain Ash

'Percy!'

A hand shot out and grabbed my bag, pulling me under the cover of a tree.

'Wha-?' I began.

My bag was yanked sideways and my head followed until I came face to face with Scott and Stiles.

'Ok here's the plan,' said Scott, ignoring my protests, 'Stiles' dad found a link between the kanima's victims and we're certain who the next person on it's hit list will be. My boss – he's a vet who knows a lot about the supernatural world for some unknown reason – showed us how to trap the _kanima_ and it's master'.

'How,' I asked, wondering how badly my mum was going to flip when I arrived home late.

'There's a powder called Mountain Ash; Stile's is going to spread it in a ring around the building where we'll trap the kanima and it's master. Effectively, it won't allow them to leave but the same goes for me; it shouldn't affect you though, you aren't a shapeshifter or connected to one either. You meet with Derek and Boyd – just stick with them in case they run into trouble. Isaac and Erica will drug Jackson and lock him up then we'll all rendezvous and figure out what to do with him,' Scott explained.

'Uh… where, when?'

'Tonight, I'll pick you up in my Jeep – give me your address – and we'll head to a night party,' Stiles interjected.

I nodded.

'Ok, cool – see you then'.

I waved goodbye as I hurried home.

* * *

I craned my neck skywards as Stiles parked the Jeep next to a rundown looking building. Vibrations pulsated from the epicenter of music within and it appeared more living than dead. We clambered out of the Jeep and began unloading the contents in its trunk. I helped Stiles haul the garbage bag filled with mountain ash onto the ground but stopped when Scott suddenly jerked his head towards the building.

'Not-not here, not _now_,' he cursed, running into the building without so much as a glance behind him.

'What? Scott! What am I suppose to- plan officially sucks!' Stiles yelled after his retreating friend.

He sighed. I glanced sideways at him, awkwardly fidgeting with Riptide as I watched him mutter his irritation.

'Hey, man… uh, no offense or anything but I've got to find Derek and Boyd,' I told him reluctantly.

'Huh? Oh, yeah,' Stiles said distractedly.

I watched him as he tore a small hole in the corner of the garbage bag, carrying it with him as he walked so he left a trail of mountain ash in his wake. Satisfied that he was alright, I took off to find Derek. It didn't take me long – they found me.

'You smell like fish,' said the Alpha.

Oh, right, I forgot – dogs have a sensitive sense of smell.

'Thanks,' I said, nodding a greeting to Boyd, which evoked null emotional response.

Suddenly and simultaneously, Derek and Boyd whipped their heads to the right. I guess werewolves have incredibly sharp hearing as well. Urgently, Derek gestured towards a large trash container and I scurried behind it, poking my head out far enough to see what he wanted me to hide from without it was seeing me. I blanched when a group of five, fully armed men sauntered around the corner.

'Derek, back off,' their ringleader told the Alpha.

What the heck? How did Derek know these people? Sure, they told me all about the werewolves and shapeshifters but nothing about men carrying guns! How did mortals get involved in the supernatural world anyway?

'Back off? Is that really all you've got?' He scoffed 'I gotta be honest Chris, I was really expecting more from the ah, big bad veteran werewolf hunter'.

Werewolf _hunter!_? What, did everyone just _happen_ to forget to mention that extremely important detail!?

Chris smiled. It never reached his eyes.

'Ok then,' he said, 'how about; didn't anyone tell you not to bring claws to a gun fight?'

The clack of gun's being loaded filled the air and the men behind Chris raised their firearms. I sighed inwardly. Yeah, sure rely on the demigod; that's what your thinking aren't you Derek? Yeah mate, you know I'll defend you, so it's easy for you to stand there all smug while you taunt the guys with _guns_.

Idiot.

I'd never tried to stop a speeding bullet with water before. This should prove interesting.

'Yeah, that one sounded pretty good'.

Amazing. A whole sentence from Boyd and one that made absolute sense, too.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The werewolves dived behind the duster I was crouching behind as bullets pinged against the metal.

'Now's a good time to use your powers,' muttered Derek sardonically.

'I'm trying! Shut up and let me concentrate,' I hissed back.

I closed my eyes and willed the water to come to me. A tugging sensation in my gut warned me off incoming reinforcements.

* * *

'Scott, pick up – pick up _now'_.

Stiles stood in a deserted parking area, an empty garbage bag discarded at his feet. In one hand he clutched a handful of mountain ash and in the other he held a mobile to his ear. He stood next to a discontinued line of mountain ash and stared into the darkness at the beginning of the trail.

'Look, I got like, fifty feet of ash left and I'm out – ok? So you gotta get your wolf ass down here to help me because I don't know what to do when I'm just standing out here and I'm… *bang!*bang!*bang!*… woah, woah, woah and I'm hearing _gun_ fire and _werewolves_ and I'm standing here like a friggin idiot all by myself with a handful of magic fairy dust and I don't have enough – ok?'

He ended the voicemail call and shoved the phone back into his pocket.

'Okay, c'mon think,' Stiles muttered to himself, 'umm… okay, he said you gotta believe, need to believe, c'mon believe Stiles, just uh… just picture it, just imagine it working – ok? Just-'.

A bumper sticker on a parked car nearby caught his eye and he read its caption.

**IMAGINATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN KNOWLEDGE**

**-Einstein**

'Imagine,' he murmured to himself.

Taking a deep breath, he locked his eyes on the line of mountain ash in the distance and closed his eyes. Determination set in his face; he began to walk slowly towards the other end, his hand loosening to allow a trickle of mountain ash slide through and create a line from the end of the trail. Eventually, he felt the meager amount of ash in his hand run out and he stopped walking. He opened his eyes and sighed in annoyance, dusting the remaining remnants of mountain ash from the palm of his hand. Glancing down, his eyes widened in surprise and he mouth fell open as he witnessed a completed circuit of mountain ash – he had covered the remaining fifty feet with only a handful to spare! He laughed in out loud and pumped his fists in the air in victory.

YES!

In his gleefulness, he leapt onto the hood of a car, whooping in delight. However he hastily jumped off his temporary seat as its alarms were activated and split the dank night with wailing sirens.

This did little to faze Stiles as he allowed himself one last celebratory punch.


	9. Comrades

I opened my eyes as I whacked my hands against the side of the trash container. Hopefully, the muffled thuds wouldn't be discernible over the jarring cracks from fired rifles. A steady stream of water flowed along the ground and rose up to form a solid wall of water at my signal. Water molecules bonded and stood resilient against the metal projectiles, which slowed considerably as they tried to penetrate the liquid; loosing momentum by the time they'd reached the other side and simply dropping out of the air. Derek gave a short bark of laughter when he heard the cries of shock and irritation from the hunters. My hands shook under the strain of controlling the water against the steady rain of bullets.

'I can't hold it much longer,' I muttered through clenched teeth, 'if you're gonna do something, now would be a great time'.

Derek nodded in acknowledgement.

'Bring them closer, loose their guns and we'll do the rest,' he instructed.

I jerked my hands apart and the water dispersed from its uniform state. The dustbin blocked my vision but I used the water to see, feeling for bodies and gun-shaped objects. In a matter of seconds I'd slipped their weapons from their hands and discarded them into the darkness. I clenched my fists and tugged my arms towards me, causing the gunmen to stumble towards the dustbin we were hiding behind. I dropped my hands and plopped back on my bum in exhaustion.

'Go'.

One word. That was all it took before Derek and Boyd were up and over the dustbin, faster than my brain could process. I sat in contentment as snarls, yells and screams emanated from the other side of the garbage container. The sounds changed however, and I scrambled onto my feet, instantly alert as my ears caught the crackling sound of Tasers followed by the pained yelps of electrocuted werewolves.

Water didn't protect against electricity – It made it worse.

* * *

Stiles burst through the door to a corrugated, metal room and blanched at the sight of an unconscious teenager slumped in a folding chair. Two other teenagers already occupied the room and they turned to him upon his entry, poised to attack.

'Oh! No, no, no! Just me! Its just _me_'.

He raised his hand in a sign of peace and Erica and Isaac backed away, satisfied that the gangly teenager wasn't a threat. Relieved, Stiles dropped his hands and shut the door behind him.

'He Ok?' he asked, nodding to Jackson's unconscious form.

'Well,' Isaac strutted over to the kanima in its human form, 'lets find out'.

He splayed his hand and claws extended from his fingertips. Grimacing, he raised his arm and prepared to strike down upon Jackson's face. His arm began its downward motion and… it didn't get any further than that.

Gar! Ow!

Isaac's face scrunched up in pain as Jackson's hand shot out and grabbed his arm, twisting his clawed hand downwards. He eventually released the werewolf from his iron grip and Isaac hastily backed away, clutching his injured wrist even as it began to heal itself. Jackson's eyes were still closed, his body betraying no indication that he had ever moved.

'Okay – no one does _anything_ like that again!'

Stiles announced as the three teenagers took a few steps away from Jackson.

'Argh. I thought the ketamine was supposed to put him out,' Isaac gasped with difficulty.

'Yeah, well apparently this is all we're gonna get,' Stiles said frustratingly, 'so, lets hope that whoever's controlling him decided to show up tonight'.

On cue, Jackson's eyes snapped open. His body remained motionless however, as did his head. He regarded the three teenagers with his head still leaning on his shoulder.

_I'm here. I'm right here with you._

An inhumane voice echoed from Jackson's vocal chords. Cautiously, Stiles knelt down in front of Jackson and scrutinized his face.

'Jackson is that you?' he asked hopefully.

_Us. We're all here._

'Are you the one killing people?' Stiles continued his interrogation.

_We're the ones healing murderers_

'So all the people you've killed so far…'

_Deserved it._

'See we've got a little… rule book, that says you only go after murderers'.

_Anything can break if enough crush is applied._

'Right, so the people you're killing are all murderers then'.

_All. Each. Every one._

'Well who did they murder?'

_Me._

'Wait, what? What do you mean?'

_They murdered me._

Suddenly, Jackson's eyes turned reptilian and his head started to upright itself.

_THEY MURDERED ME!_

'Okay… alright. More Ketamine. The man needs ketamine – come on!' Stiles ordered, his voice becoming progressively agitated.

'We don't have anymore…' Isaac held up the empty vial.

Stiles closed his eyes in frustration. He opened them again and whipped his head around to face Isaac.

'You used the whole bottle?' he asked exasperatedly.

Isaac shrugged sympathetically and Erica nudged Stiles' arm to grab his attention, her eyes locked on Jackson who had risen from the chair and was sporting venom-laced claws. He hissed at them with a force equivalent to an Alpha's roar.

'Ok, out – everybody out!' Stiles shot out, already moving to the door.

The teenagers made a mad rush for the exit, scrambling for the handle and sprinting outside. Quickly, Isaac shut the door and all three of them leaned against it in an attempt to hinder anything that wanted to get out as well. They shouldn't have bothered for the adjoining wall burst open and the kanima barged its way through.

* * *

I winced inwardly as the werewolves' howls filled the night. I racked my brains for a solution – think Percy, think! Earthshaker… That was it! Poseidon was called 'Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses' wasn't he? Or at least, that was what Chiron had said at camp when I was claimed. What the heck? It was worth a shot. I closed my eyes once more and concentrated, doing my best to block out the werewolves' pained cries.

Creeeaaaak!

A rusty pipe squeaked against the loose screws that were struggling to keep it attached to the side of the building. Already, I could feel a slight tremor.

Scrrrrp!

The dustbin I was crouching behind shifted, its bottom scraping against the concrete. The ground was _literally_ shaking now and I fisted my hands against my head as the tug in by gut became painful and my forehead beaded with sweat. Unconsciously, the water that covered the ground in my vicinity rose mid-air as I focused on increasing the intensity of the earthquake. I heard surprised cries and triumphant growls in what I presumably hoped were the werewolves shaking off the hunters. It better have been, because the energy was drained from me. I slumped forwards on my hands and knees, panting heavily from mental exertion. Immediately, the earthquake ceased and the water splattered against the ground once more. I felt a hand on my shoulder and twisted my head around to see whether it was a friend or foe.

Derek looked me in the eyes and a silent message passed between us. He nodded in gratitude and offered me his hand. I grabbed it and he pulled me up. I knew then, that I'd earned his trust – we were comrades now.


	10. Lacrosse Game

The 'new school' charm was beginning to wear off on me. I trudged depressingly through the hallway, as did many of the other students. It was like we were all walking towards our execution – in a way, it wasn't too far off; Chemistry was next and Mr. Harris' monotone drawl was enough to make me die of boredom.

'Hey, Percy!'

I looked up from my plodding as a familiar pair of best friends shoved their way through the crowd towards me.

'You coming to the game?' asked Stiles.

'Game…?'

'Lacrosse! Scott's gonna be playing and we need backup'.

I swiveled my head towards Scott and raised my eyebrow quizzically. The teen wolf smiled knowingly and rolled his eyes.

'What Stiles means to say, is that we reckon the Kanima is going to strike again – Jackson's on the Lacrosse team and he'll be playing at the big game tonight'.

After all our exhausting efforts to trap the kanima and its master at the nightclub, they were both _still_ running amok. Although a vague conversation with Scott two nights ago had informed me that the Kanima's previous master was now dead and it's new master was our high school principal – Gerard, who was coincidentally part of the group of Werewolf Hunters that had tried to kill us.

'Are the rest of the pack going to be there?'

Stiles' attention was diverted by a certain strawberry blonde girl passing-by. Scott spotted his friend's lovesick expression and sniggered before addressing my question.

'Ah… no. Derek is having trouble with his betas – they reckon they've found a new pack and they want out'.

'Can't blame them,' said Stiles mildly as Lydia turned the corner and disappeared from sight, 'any beta in Derek's pack basically signs a death warrant when he gives them the bite'.

Scott gave him a look. Stiles noticed and turned towards his best friend with a complete look of innocence.

'What? You know it's true!'

'Yeah I can make it,' I interrupted before their byplay could continue any further, 'you sure that Gerard plans to kill someone at the game?'

'Absolutely,' Scott told me seriously.

I nodded thoughtfully.

'Game on'.

* * *

Surprisingly, the bleachers were relatively crowded. I grimaced as I squeezed through the tiny crevice between the metal seats and the row of kneecaps. I switched by gaze to the front of the bleachers and spotted Scott and Stiles in their lacrosse uniforms. Noting the considerable distance between us, I sighed wearily and began to maneuver my way through the seated crowd once more. As I got closer, their conversation became discernable.

'We're loosing dude.' I heard Stiles say.

Out of nowhere, Coach Finstock appeared behind the pair and stooped between their heads.

'What the hell are you talking about? The game hasn't even started. Now put on your helmet, get out there – you're in for Greenberg.'

'What happened to Greenberg?' Stiles twisted his head around, searching for his missing teammate.

'What happened to Greenberg!? He sucks, you suck… slightly less'.

'I'm playing? On the field? With the team?' Stiles asked disbelievingly.

Coach rolled his eyes as the teenager's naivety.

'Yes, unless you'd rather… play with yourself'.

'I already did that today – twice'.

Coach's patience finally ran out.

'GET THE HELL OUT THERE!'

Stiles started at the sudden change in tone and scrambled to collect his headgear before running as fast as he could onto the field.

'Aw no'.

I twisted my head around as I heard a groaning complain behind me.

'Why is my son running onto the field?'

Huh, so _that_ must be Stiles' dad.

'Because he's on the team?'

I spotted a dark haired lady sitting next to him answer his miserable sounding question. Stiles' dad seemed to stare out into nothingness until the fact clicked in his head.

'He is… he-he's on the team – he's on the field!'

The level of incredulity in the Sheriffs remark made me question if he really supported his son. My doubt was quickly dispelled as Stiles' dad burst with so much excitement he resembled Stiles on caffeine.

'MY SON IS ON THE FIELD!' he announced triumphantly, standing up and raising his fist in the air victoriously.

Then, seeming to notice the slightly concerned parents around him, he hastily sat down. I soon lost interest and continued my descent towards the front of the stand.

'Scott,' I hissed, sitting in the row behind him.

He jerked his head around, his body tense.

'Oh, Percy,' he said, relief clouding his voice, 'it's you'.

'Yep…' I replied awkwardly.

Suddenly, Scott's tone became serious and he leaned over the metal barrier towards me.

'Gerard's here. He said he's going to kill someone unless I give him Derek before the last 30 seconds,' he hissed.

'What?' I exclaimed, 'in front of _everyone_?'

'Gerard won't be the one doing the dirty work – Jackson will, remember?'

'But… the Kanima! He'd be letting all these people see a shapeshifter!'

In New York, I had always taken precautions to hide the immortal world from the mortal world – failure to do so usually resulted in a legal, sticky mess. Scott sighed.

'I really don't know with Gerard – we'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, get ready. I have a feeling there's going to be a messy fight'.

I nodded and he shifted around so that he was facing the field once more. I kept my eyes peeled for Jackson although it was much easier said than done – Everyone out there looked identical in their red uniforms and it was hard to discern individual faces through the helmets.

Meanwhile, Stiles' father buried his face in his hands as Stiles 'played' lacrosse. The teenager laughed gleefully as the ball landed in his stick, though his triumph was short-lived as a bulky opposition player slammed into him.

'I got it, I got it, I got it!'

Stiles rhythmically shoved his stick into the grass like a shovel as he tried (and failed) to make the ball go into its net. Hearing the approaching thud of footsteps, he glanced up in time to see two players slam their bodies into his.

The next few minutes saw Stiles staggering around the field with his stick, following the ball as it flew through the air… and used his helmet as a crash pad.

WWWWTTTTTT!

A piercing whistle signaled halftime. Seconds later Isaac trudged over and plopped himself beside Scott.

'Hey Percy,' he greeted.

I gave a short wave.

'You came to help?' Scott asked, amazement filling his voice.

'I came to win,' Isaac replied, chucking a knowing grin at his werewolf friend, 'you got a plan yet?'

'Uh… right now it's pretty much just keep Jackson from killing anyone'.

'Well, that might be easier if you were actually in the game – we have to make it so Coach has no choice but to play you'.

'How do we do that? He's got a bench full of guys he'll use before he ever puts me on the field'.

'Then get rid of them,' I muttered quietly, knowing all too well that the two werewolves could hear me perfectly.

Stiles slowly turned his head around until he made eye contact with me.

'Can you do it without putting anyone in the hospital?'

I nodded.

* * *

The whistle blew and the players moved. Hunching over, I carefully hid the view of my hands with my legs and concentrated on the water that soaked the playing field. I twitched my palm and felt a familiar tugging sensation in my gut.

Thump!

A player tripped and skidded across the slippery grass. Muffling the sound with my thighs, I scanned the spectators around me innocently as I clapped my hands together.

Crack!

Two players were shoved together simultaneously and collided into each other.

I waited until a body from the opposition team obscured the view of one of our players…

Wack!

The unlucky teenager flew through the air for a few seconds before slamming into the ground.

'McCall, you're in or we forfeit,' Coach notified Scott irritably.

'Ok'.

Scott ran onto the field, chucking a grin towards Isaac and I.

* * *

WWWWTTTTTT!

Scott looked panicked as he glanced at Isaac and I from the field. The timer had run out and the whistle had been blown, signaling the end of the game. If Gerard had been telling the truth, someone was scheduled to die any second.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

One by one, the spotlight's turned off and the vicinity was plunged into total darkness. After a moment of silence I heard a horrified scream. In a matter of seconds, the area swarmed with panicked spectators. They all ran in different directions, fleeing from an unknown danger in the darkness.

Then, as quick as they had been extinguished – the lights turned back on.

'Percy! Isaac!'

We exchanged a worried glance before running towards the sound of Scott's voice. When we reached him, he turned to us and wordlessly nodded towards the kanima's latest victim.

It was Jackson.

'He did it to himself,' murmured Isaac.

Sure enough, Jackson's fingertips were stained with blood.


	11. Rabid Dog

*BRRRRRR**BRRRRRR**BRRRRRR*

I decelerated my pace until I went from walking to standing. My pocket vibrated and I fumbled with its contents until I found my phone.

'Yep?'

As I talked, I continued my previous sauntering. I'd split with the wolves after the game and was walking home under the streetlights. Standing there would've made me a sitting duck, which for a demigod, was fatal.

_Percy!_

'Scott! Did you find anything?'

_Yeah, it's Jackson; he's like… hibernating or something in a cocoon of venom. I'll send you the address – get over here __**now**__._

He hung up and seconds later I received a text. I glanced at it and sighed wearily; there was no way I could walk and get there 'now' and mum would flip if I borrowed her car without asking first. Although, being a demigod has its perks. I stuck a finger from each hand in my mouth and whistled.

WWWWWWPPPPP!

Nothing.

WWWWWPPPPPP!

A black shadow blotted out the moon.

Whup! Whup! Whup!

My hair danced in the wind displaced by a giant set of wings.

_Yo, boss! You miss me?_

I chuckled.

'Yeah, Blackjack – I've got an overload of sugar cubes in my bag cause no one's been eating them'.

Blackjack trotted onto the pavement, snorting and shaking his mane.

_Why didn't you tell me? I could've come earlier!_

I smiled as I mounted my Pegasus. It felt good to be back on a familiar seat.

'Swap a handful of cubes for a quick ride?'

_Sure Boss, lead the way!_

And with that, Blackjack galloped into the night sky.

[break]

'…look bad?'

'It doesn't look good'.

I burst through the door I could hear familiar voices behind. Scott, Isaac and the dark haired lady I'd seen next to Stile's dad turned as I entered the room.

'Hey, what'd I… What in hades it _that_!?'

My eyes widened as I stared at Jackson. He was laying in a body bag in a seemingly comatose state, his hands crossed over his chest and half his body enclosed in a jelly-like substance of kanima venom.

'Hey, Percy… mum this is Percy'.

Scott motioned at me to the dark haired lady beside him. She gave me a nod, too distracted by the shape-shifting teenager lying on the table beside her.

'Umm, to answer your previous question… we don't know,' Isaac piped up.

I nodded and walked over cautiously towards the body bag. Suddenly, Jackson jerked his torso as if he were having a bad dream. We yelped in surprise and quickly backed away.

'Um, mum could you zip it up please?' Scott asked.

Mrs. McCall rolled her eyes in exasperation and fidgeted as she accessed the task at hand.

'Ok,' she said uncertainly, approaching the bag.

'Ok, ok, ok,' she muttered slightly hysterically as she zipped up the body bag.

We watched, bodies tense as the bag slowly closed. When she had zipped it up to Jackson's chin, the zipper stuck and stubbornly refused to move any further. Without warning, Jackson's mouth opened to reveal a row of razor sharp teeth and he hissed although his eyes remained closed. Mr. McCall quickly withdrew her hands and we unconsciously took a step back from Jackson.

'Mum… _zip_,' Scott said warningly, eyes locked on Jackson's fangs.

'Ok, ok, ok'.

Scott's mum reached out and tugged at the zipper. Jackson began hissing once more as her hands neared his face.

'Zip, zip mum – _zip, zip_!'

With one final valiant effort, Mrs. McCall pulled the zipper over Jackson's face and sealed the bag.

In unison, we sighed in relief. Then jerked upright as a ringing noise filled the room. Scott blinked and hastily pulled out his phone.

'Yeah?'

We watched as he nodded in reply to whoever was on the other side.

'Ok'.

He locked his phone and slipped it back in his pocket.

'That was Derek, we've got to take Jackson to him. Whatever he was before was the kanima's beta state… he's turning into the Alpha state – we've got to get him to Derek _before_ he finishes the transformation'.

I breathed out and nodded. Isaac, Scott and I each gripped an edge of the body bag and hauled it off the table. We then proceeded to stagger outside; Jackson's weight must have increased tenfold from the venom because he was _not_ the normal weight of an average teenager. Half walking, half running through the car park we were unexpectedly flooded by the headlights of a car.

The engine cut and its occupant alighted from the car – it was the lead Hunter who'd attacked us at the nightclub. Chris. His eyes scanned the area and hesitated as they found me but if he thought I was out of place he didn't comment on it. Scott was the first to speak.

'You're alone,' he stated.

'More than you know,' Chris replied.

'What do you want?'

Isaac and I decided to leave the talking to Scott.

'We don't have much in common, Scott – but at the moment we have a common enemy'.

'That's… why I'm trying to get him out of here,' Scott replied, slightly confused as he indicated to the body bag.

'I didn't mean Jackson'.

Scott chewed on his bottom lip as he though carefully.

'Gerard,' he said.

Chris nodded in confirmation. He jerked his head at his car and turned around, walking towards the drivers seat.

'Jackson will be in the Kanima's Alpha form before you three could even carry him half a kilometer. Get in and I'll take you where you're meeting Derek,' he called over his shoulder.

A quick glance between ourselves decided that Chris was right – what did we have to loose? As quickly as we could, we carried the body bag to the car and shoved it inside. Following the bag, we closed the doors and Chris fired up the engine. Before too long, we were heading to the rendezvous point.

'So, who's Derek's new beta?' Chris asked, his eyes glued to the road in front of him.

I squirmed in my seat uncomfortably and Scott shot me a quick glance. When none of us spoke up, Chris coughed meaningfully and I made up my mind.

'I'm not a werewolf,' I told him.

In the rearview mirror, I saw Chris' eyebrow rise in surprise.

'Shape shifter?'

'No…demigod'.

Chris was silent for a few minutes as he processed this new information.

'So… you're not human then?'

'Technically, I'm half human'.

Chris sighed.

'Where does Scott find you people?' he muttered incredulously.

* * *

We jumped out of Chris' car and glanced around our surroundings.

'I think he stopped moving,' Isaac announced, staring at the motionless body bag we'd left on the back seat.

'Where's Derek?' asked Chris.

Scott opened his mouth to reply but jerked his head towards the hood of the car. From the entrance to the alleyway we were parked in, a large canine bounded towards us. At the last minute, it leapt into the air and executed a front flip before landing in the headlights of Chris' car. Derek slowly rose from his crouching position, taking in the car and the people clustered around it.

'I'm here for Jackson, not you,' Chris declared, clearing up any suspicions Derek might have of him.

'Somehow I don't find that very comforting,' Derek said scathingly.

He nodded to the three teenagers.

'Get him inside'.

I worked with Isaac and Scott to lift the bag up and out of the car into the warehouse behind us. We placed Jackson onto the concrete floor and Derek and Chris followed. We stood around the body bag in an uneven oval.

'Where are they?' Scott asked Derek.

'Who?'

'Peter and Lydia'.

Derek left Scott's question unanswered and ignored him. He trudged over to the body bag and reached out to unzip it.

'Woah, hold on a second!' Scott called out, 'you said you knew how to save him'.

'We're past that,' Derek replied shortly, opening the bag.

'W-what about-'.

'Think about it Scott!' Derek turned on him frustratingly, 'Gerard controls him now! He's turned Jackson into his own personal guard dog and he set all of this in motion so that Jackson can get even bigger and more powerful'.

'No'.

Derek turned as a new voice joined the argument. Chris surveyed at Jackson, shaking his head.

'No, he wouldn't do that,' he told Derek, 'if Jacksons a dog he's turning rabid and my father wouldn't let a rabid dog live'.

'Of course not!'

This time, everyone turned as Gerard's voice echoed through the abandoned warehouse. My high school principal stood in the shadows 20 meters away from us. He looked directly at Derek as he spoke.

'Anything that dangerous – that outta control… is better off dead'.


	12. Six against Three

Derek took one last look at Gerard before raising his arm – his hands now sporting a full set of extended claws. Taking a deep breath, he plunged his hand downwards towards Jackson's chest. Before they could reach their mark however, Jackson's arm suddenly reared up and sunk into Derek's chest. The Alpha's eyes widened in surprise and he choked as blood filled his throat. Jackson rose from the body bag and hurled Derek through the air where he disappeared from view behind a row of hanging plastic sheets.

We quickly retreated from the Kanima; Derek hadn't been injured fatally and his body would heal fast enough. Me on the other hand – without my curse of Achilles I'd lost in the Roman Tiber River, I was as good as dead meat.

'Well done to the last, Scott'.

Gerard began walking menacingly towards us, although it was a tad ridiculous considering his deteriorating age.

'Like the concerned friend you are you brought Jackson to Derek to save him. You just didn't realize that you were also bringing Derek to me'.

WSP!

The sound of a fired crossbow whistled through the air. Scott ducked the flying arrow but Isaac wasn't as lucky and the weapon buried itself in his shoulder. Laced with wolfs bane, Isaac couldn't muster the strength to rid himself of the arrow and he gave a strangled choke before falling to the ground. Werewolves might be affected by wolfs bane but demigods aren't and I silently darted across the floor, yanking the arrow from Isaac's flesh. Now all he had to do was wait for it to heal. I glanced up in time to spot a silhouette behind Gerard disappear behind a buttress. Scott saw it too and he gasped in surprise and shock.

'Allison?' he hissed.

He began retreating towards us and I helped him carry Isaac into the adjoining room. Allison must've been pretty dangerous to cause a werewolf to flee. Chris watched us briefly before pulling out a gun and facing Jackson.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He fired silver bullets at the Kanima, causing the shape shifter to hiss and evacuate behind his vehicle. Chris continued to shoot as a reptilian tail swiped the air above the car. He emptied his clip and averted his eyes from the car to reload. Fully shifted, the Kanima leapt onto the roof of the car and shot out its tail, wrapping it around the barrel of the gun and jerking it out of Chris' grip. Unarmed, Chris' lost his courage and fled towards us. The Kanima followed and shoved Chris into a pile of poles. Scott grabbed my arm, message clear in his eyes – we had to save Chris. But before either of us could act, a werewolf bounded over a nearby crate of planks and snarled at the creature. It was Derek – he'd finally healed. An irritated groan alerted us that Isaac had also recovered from his wound and the three of us abandoned our hiding place to face the Kanima alongside Derek.

He was the Alpha and we were he's betas.

Derek blocked a right hook with his arm and countered with a swiping overhand. The Kanima hissed with malice and punched Derek in the gut. Scott charged the Kanima, closely followed by Isaac. He brandished his hands and swiped at the leathery skin. The Kanima spun viciously to rid itself of Scott's claws and Scott was thrown diagonally over the Kanima's shoulder. The werewolves moved much faster than any human and I did my best to help 'long-range' before reaching the Kanima. Flicking my hand upwards, I slowed Scott's descent without breaking my pace. The Kanima spotted me as I neared and screamed it's fury. I switched my footing and danced sideways in front of the Kanima, pulling out riptide and summoning a sheet of water to freeze on it's surface – I'd already experimented riptide's affect on the pack to no avail; they were still mortal so riptide ghosted through them. However, the water emulated riptide's wicked edge and did little to displace its balance. It would affect the Kanima as if the creature were immortal but drain my strength required to command the water. I flourished my bizarre ice and bronze sword briefly to warm up my hand and arm muscles.

Then I struck.

The kanima was fast – as fast as the wolves.

But I had ADHD.

I ducked a swipe and parried a venom-laced claw with the blade of my sword. The Kanima lunged towards me and I immediately dropped to the ground, tucking my legs unto my chest as I rolled sideways. In my peripheral vision, I spotted Isaac approaching from behind the Kanima. I only needed to buy him a few more seconds so that he'd be able to attack while the Kanima was distracted. Another dodge, countered by a thrust and then-

GRRRRR!

Isaac launched his assault on the Kanima while it's back was still turned to him. He took advantage of the shape shifters temporary blindness to grab it's neck in a chokehold, digging his claws into the all but impenetrable flesh. I retreated a few paces and crouched nearby, looking for an opening in the super-fast fight where riptide could do it's damage.

While the Kanima was distracted; Derek deftly climbed a metal buttress behind the grappling pair. Isaac growled in defiance as the Kanima's incredible strength triumphed over the beta and jerked his hands apart. Life threatening grip overcome, the Kanima was given suffice room to shove Isaac in the chest, propelling him through the air where his body was slammed against a stack of wooden planks. Spotting his opportunity, Derek leapt from the steel support he had been crouching upon and used the speed of his fall to power the double fisted blow he inflicted upon the Kanima's spine. The monster staggered forward and turned around in time to catch Derek's overhand strike. It grabbed the arm it had caught and swung it's torso around, thrusting Derek into the adjacent wall.

It was Derek's lightning fast reflexes that saved him from a brutal collision with concrete. Using the momentum of the Kanima's shove, he ran forwards and up a metal board that had been propped against the wall. Reaching the apex he executed a perfect backflip, effectively dodging the venomous swipe the Kanima performed. He landed behind the shape shifter, bending his knees to absorb the brunt of his fall. Snarling, he attempted another deadly overhand only to have it blocked by the Kanima once more.

Spotting the Kanima's exposed rear, I darted forward and swung riptide in a deadly arch for the Kanima's neck. It's limbs preoccupied with the Alpha wolf, the Kanima wipped it's tail backwards and struck me in the chest. Riptide slipped from my grasp and I flew through the air towards a concrete column, mustering a wall of water to cushion the impact. Falling, I quickly tucked myself into a ball and rolled over once before rising to my feet. Twisting my head, I spotted Derek battling it out with the Kanima.

Instead of throwing the Alpha away like it did before, the Kanima gripped Derek's chest and shoved him against a metal sheet. It hissed, taunting the Alpha as he rolled sideways to avoid a possible attack. Its mocking cry was cut off as Scott leapt through the air and struck his foot against It's scaly back. The Kanima staggered forward and collided with the metal sheet. Scott ran forwards and raised his arm for a second attack but the position made him vulnerable and the Kanima rammed it's foot against his chest with enough force to send Scott flying through the air.

Unfortunately, he went flying towards me.

Instinctively, I raised my hands and I wall of water converged between us. Exhausted, I didn't have enough strength to solidify the water and it only slowed Scott's momentum so that he crashed into me with less force than he would have if I'd never conjured the wall.

Recovered from the previous attack, Derek charged the Kanima and it sliced it's venom-laced claws across his chest. The paralyzing affect spread through Derek's system and he managed to stumble a few paces before dropping to the ground. Witnessing his Alpha's defeat, Isaac's features screwed up in rage and he started towards the Kanima. Before he could however, a black-clad teenage girl blocked his path and wordlessly slashed his chest with two razor sharp daggers. Isaac roared in pain and swiped at the girl's head. All his claws found were air for Allison had long since darted behind the werewolf and proceeded to shove her knives into the flesh surrounding the small of his back. Isaac cried out in agony as he fell to the floor, permitting Allison a clear view of the Alpha she had come to kill. Striding forwards, she skillfully spun the blades in her hands and they twisted though the air in elaborate patterns. I whipped my head around the area within an arms reach of me and spotted a pile of short, solid metal. Perfect. Leaning over, I quickly grabbed two with my left hand.

'Allison!' Scott cried out as she raised her weapons for the killing strike.

CLANG! CLANG!

I passed the metal rods into my right hand and threw them in rapid succession, aiming for the daggers in both of Allison's hands. They both reached their marks and the daggers were wrenched from Allison's grip. Her mouth opened slightly as she suddenly found herself unarmed but before she could do anything else, two clawed hands shot out and grabbed her wrists, pulling them downwards. The Kanima slunk into view, it's claws wrapped around Allison's throat.

'Not yet sweetheart,' Gerard strode out from the shadows.

'I must say Mr. Jackson, you surprised me there with your mythical tactics. Someone like you could be very useful in the supernatural world… especially when they side with the right side – the more _powerful_ side'.

He eyed me cunningly and it took every ounce of my willpower not to avert my gaze.

'Seeing as it's six against three, I'd say that this side's more preferable,' I replied.

Gerard's mouth quirked upwards in a crafty smile.

'Oh, we'll see about that'.

'What are you doing?' gasped Allison.

'He's doing what he came here to do,' Scott announced.

Gerard regarded the teen wolf curiously.

'Then you know?' he questioned.

'What's he talking about?' asked Allison.

Gerard looked from his granddaughter to Scott, a sadistic smile playing upon his lips.

'It was that night outside the hospital, wasn't it? When I threatened your mother. I knew I saw something in your eyes – you could smell it, couldn't you?'

Isaac looked up from where he was hunched over on the ground.

'He's dying,' he guessed.

Gerard turned to him.

'I am – I have been for a while now. Unfortunately, science doesn't have a cure for cancer yet… but, the supernatural does'.

'You monster,' snarled Chris.

'Not yet,' smirked Gerard.

'What are you doing!?' Allison cried accusingly.

Gerard snapped his head towards her and the Kanima automatically tightened it's gripped.

'You'll kill her too?' Chris asked incredulously.

'When it comes to survival – I'd kill my own _son_!' Gerard directed towards him.

Silence. Deathly, scary silence.

'Scott,' Gerard said meaningfully.

Scott twitched his face and returned to his human form. His eyes darted around the room as he contemplated what he was going – what he had – to do. Slowly, he walked towards the Alpha. He grabbed Derek by the scruff of his neck and hauled him into a kneeling position.

'No! He knows he's going to kill me right after – he'll be an Alpha,' Derek protested, grunting with pain.

'That's true – but I think he already knows that, don't you Scott?' Gerard said cheerfully.

'Don't… don't!' Derek grimaced.

'I have to,' muttered Scott.

The beta reared back the Alpha's head so that his fangs were visible. After all, only the bite of an Alpha can turn a human into a werewolf. Gerard rolled up his sleeve as he walked towards Derek. I averted my eyes as Gerard placed his forearm into Derek's gaping mouth and cried out in pain as the Alpha bit into his flesh.

'Haaa... gah…Ha…,' Gerard gasped as he held up his bitten arm triumphantly for all to see.

I narrowed my eyes as black blood began to seep from Gerard's arm. Even as a newcomer to the supernatural world, I was pretty certain that you didn't bleed black blood once you were bitten. Everyone else seemed to reckon so as well for they stared opened mouthed at Gerard's seeping bite. Seeing our faces, the high school principal lowered his arm and the grin faded from his face. He twisted his arm around so that he could see the bite mark and frowned as he saw what we had been gawking at.

'What is this?' he asked Scott, 'What… did… you… do?'

He implied silent threats into every word he uttered.

'Everyone always said Gerard had a plan,' Scott explained to our questioning faces, 'I had a plan too'.

Gerard's face morphed into dread as he quickly pulled out a metal canister of pills. He tipped them out into his hand and flinched as they made contact. Breathing hate, he fisted the pills and raised them into the air.

'MOUNTAIN AAAAAAASSSHH!

With one last guttural scream, blood seeped from his eyes and nose. He fell to his knees and spewed black blood into the air. Then his body hit the ground. The Kanima released it's grip on Allison's neck and walked towards it's fallen master, confused to why he was lying in a puddle of black blood.

BANG!

A run down jeep burst into the warehouse and rammed into the Kanima. Stiles and Lydia sat in the front, breathing heavily.

'Ahh!'

Lydia squealed as the Kanima squashed the shape of the hood and hissed at the two humans inside. Stiles screamed his head off and the two teenagers scrambled out of the jeep. Stiles ran full pelt towards the safety he knew he'd have behind Scott but Lydia stopped in front of the Kanima.

'Jackson!' she shot out, voice mixed with determination and fear.

'Jackson,' she said more firmly as the Kanima rose to her height.

She closed her eyes and held up a small, bronze key. When the clawed strike never came, she opened her eyes and the tears that had been trapped inside escaped down her cheeks. The Kanima regarded the key curiously and slowly lowered it's hand. It shifted back into Jackson and he took the key, a shocked expression on his face. He stumbled a few steps back, all the while eyes locked on Lydia. Then he nodded and closed his eyes.

In unison, Derek and another werewolf I'd never seen raced to Jackson and plunged their clawed hands into his chest. Jackson choked as they dug their claws in deeper and he dropped to the ground when they finally retracted their weapons.

We all stood there in shock while Lydia cried.

Then Jackson's hands started moving.

His Kanima claws scraped against the concrete until they retracted into his fingernails. Then his eyes opened – they were ice blue. Slowly, Jackson stood up and raised his face upwards. Then he roared – roared with the sound of a beta wolf.


	13. Weirder

Doctor Deaton – Scott's veterinarian boss who happened to know a heck of a lot about the supernatural – stood up from his crouching stance he had been in for the past couple of minutes. Scott, Derek and I stood beside him, waiting for his verdict as Deaton raised a gloved finger to his eye.

'Well?' demanded Derek impatiently, 'what happened to him?'

Deaton continued inspecting the tar like substance that had erupted from Gerard the night before, completely ignoring the Alpha's dominant attitude.

'Interesting…' he murmured.

Derek rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

'Yeah, which is why we called you here. So, is that the stuff from Gerard or not?'

Dr. Deaton finally dropped his leather-clad hand and turned to address the three of us.

'It appears that Gerard may have survived the onslaught brought about by the mountain ash you poisoned him with,' he nodded meaningfully towards Scott, 'not surprising, given Gerard's upbringing and resilience. Although, I think it's safe to say that he is most definitely incapacitated until he can find a possible antidote for his condition'.

'What-are you saying that he _crawled_ away?' Scott asked incredulously, staring at the black blood smeared across the concrete.

Derek groaned and dropped his arms in frustration, switching them to his hips instead.

'You've _got_ to be kidding,' he complained, 'does the man _ever_ die?'

Scott turned on the Alpha in defiance.

'So what? He can't attack any of us – isn't it better this way?' he argued.

Derek frowned.

'He can still direct the hunters – it's no guarantee of our safety. Why is it always like this with you anyway? It's _kill_ or be _killed'_.

'Not _always_,' Scott countered.

I waved my hands between the pair.

'Woah, woah, woah! Guys!'

Derek directed a withering glare in my direction but ceased arguing nonetheless. Dr. Deaton watched the verbal match from the sidelines but interjected as soon as they had stopped.

'Scott, Derek is correct when he says that Gerard is still a threat. However, you are right in thinking that there is always an alternative to murder'.

'Self defense,' corrected Derek.

'I think, Alpha, that you have more pressing issues than to determine the difference between murder and self defense,' Deaton told Derek quietly.

Scott quirked his eyebrow up and turned to look inquiringly at Derek. The Alpha ignored the Beta and kept his gaze locked on Deaton's. Amazingly, the man didn't so much as flinch.

'I think that you should show Scott your new front door, Derek' he said reasonably, 'and probably the symbol underneath it's new coat of paint'.

I watched the byplay between the two men with confusion. How was a symbol on Derek's front door more dangerous than Gerard and his army of werewolf hunters? Then again, the supernatural world would probably never ever make any sense to me.

Derek sighed in exasperation and turned to Scott.

'Come on,' he jerked his thump over his shoulder and stormed off, Scott hurrying to catch up.

I watched as they shifted and quickly bounded towards the forest, presumably where Derek's house was situated. When they disappeared from sight, I turned back to the veterinarian and found him regarding me curiously.

'So, Percy Jackson,' he mused.

'Ah, yep – that's me,' I replied awkwardly.

Dr. Deaton smiled and cocked his head.

'Scott has told me a lot about you; I must say, demigods were a new one to me'.

'And werewolves and kanimas aren't?' I asked jokingly.

Deaton chuckled.

'You'd be surprised with what I've seen, son of Poseidon'.

And with that confusing remark, he turned his back to me and walked off.

* * *

I grimaced as bodies plagued with teenage odor pushed and shoved against me as the entire population of Beacon Hills High School fought to reach the school entrance. My relief was indescribable when the teenagers around me finally dispersed as we made it outside.

Fresh air couldn't smell cleaner.

'Yo, Perce!'

I grinned as I spotted Stiles and Scott shoving their way through the crowd towards me.

'How awesome is this!' Stiles crowed, 'summer holidays are finally here! I never thought I'd live to see the day!'

He floundered his hands through the air, arms raised triumphantly in his happiness. Scott scoffed and looked at his friend in mock offense.

'Well, you know,' Stiles told his friend, 'what with all these claws and fangs and… poisoned claws trying to kill me'.

Scott rolled his eyes.

'So, Percy, what'd you planning to do this summer?' he asked.

'Yeah, you know, if you're bored you can always hang with us,' Stiles added.

I smiled and inclined my head apologetically.

'Sounds great guys but I can't, sorry – I'll be at summer camp till school starts again'.

'Woah… that's a pretty long camp, dude… nicee! What's it called?' Stiles asked.

'Camp Half-Blood,' I replied with a ghost of a smile.

'Half-blood,' Scott murmured thoughtfully, 'isn't that another name for demigod? Like, half god, half mortal?' he asked.

I nodded.

'Yeah, its where I learn to fight monsters'.

Stiles mouth dropped open in amazement. He grinned and gave a half laugh.

'So… there're other people like you?' he said

'Yep,' I confirmed.

'Wow… that's so cool… hey, Scott; why don't you guys have werewolf camp or something?' Stiles asked his friend.

Scott shrugged.

'We learn all that stuff from an Alpha,' he explained, 'so when are you leaving?' he asked me.

'Now,' I told him, 'mum's already use to it and I never really need to bring anything besides riptide… which is always in my pocket anyway'.

'Now?' asked Scott, 'but… how are you going to get there?

'Shadow travel,' I said simply.

Scott raised his eyebrow questioningly.

'Come on,' I motioned them to follow me, 'I'll show you'.

They followed me around a bend and next to the shadow of a tree. I glanced around the vicinity and checked that we were alone. Satisfied, I brought out my Stygian ice whistle and blew. Instantly, it shattered into a million pieces.

'Uh…' Stiles began, pointing at the shadow of the tree, 'what the _heck_ is that!?'

The shadow morphed into a canine shape and grew in size. Two red spotlights formed as the shadow solidified into a black hellhound.

Woof!

Mrs. O'Leary bounded towards me, her slobbery tongue lolling outwards and towards my face. I laughed out loud as she covered me in saliva.

'Hey girl, yeah I missed you too. Guys, this is Mrs. O'Leary – my pet hellhound'.

Scott and Stiles gaped.

'You have a… _hellhound_ as a _pet_!?' Stiles asked, his voice rising in octave with every word.

'Uh, yeah… long story,' I replied, scratching Mrs. O'Leary behind her ears.

'Well that's just… awesome!' Stiles laughed.

I grinned at his reaction.

'So I guess you'll be leaving now, huh?' asked Scott.

I nodded.

'I'll miss you guys, but I'll be back,' I assured him.

Scott smiled.

'It's been great fun Percy,' he announced.

'Yeah – we're probably like, the only werewolf slash human slash demigod pack!' Stiles added.

We all laughed at that and Mrs. O'Leary barked in agreement which made us laugh harder.

'Ok, I gotta go – I'll see you all soon,' I waved goodbye and climbed onto Mrs. O'Leary's back.

'Cya, Perce!' Stiles called.

I waved again and Mrs. O'Leary dived into the shadow of the tree.

Scott and Stiles stood on the grass, staring at the spot where Percy had disappeared. The tree-shaped shadow appeared normal and unchanged but Stiles and Scott knew better as they gawked at the tree trunk.

'Did he just… _shrink_ into that shadow?' Stiles hissed.

Scott nodded slowly.

'Uh huh… I think so,' he replied, his voice slightly hysterical.

The pair stood there for a few seconds before Stiles shrugged.

'What the heck – we've seen weirder,' he mused.

Scott grinned and playfully slapped his hand onto his friend's shoulder.

'Yeah, you can say that again,' he agreed.

* * *

_For those who haven't watched the Teen Wolf season 2 finale the symbol on Derek's front door is revealed to be a warning to him that an Alpha Pack has arrived in Beacon Hills. It's revealed at the end of the episode - Scott scratches the new paint off the front door and finds the Alpha Pack symbol painted on top of the old coat. Basically, it hints what Season 3 will be about._


End file.
